Asian cold snap kills over 80; Taiwan worst affected

More than 1,000 flights from South Korean resort city of Jeju cancelled.

The breakout of an unusual cold snap across East Asia has brought snow, sleet and chill winds, causing deaths in Taiwan and Japan and throwing cities in China, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong into disarray.

The worst hit was Taiwan where more than 80 people died. Most of the deaths happened in the Taiwanese capital Taipei, where temperatures plunged to a 16-year low of 4° Celsius.

Elderly people were mostly the victims as homes lacked central heating in a city that rarely sees temperatures dropping below 16 degree Celsius in a regular January.

In Japan, heavy snowfall left five people dead in the western and central parts of the country. More than 100 people were injured and more than 160 flights were cancelled.

China's subtropical southern city of Guangzhou witnessed snowfall, which was a first in 60 years, the provincial meteorological station said.

The agency said as many as 24 weather stations recorded all-time low temperatures. China's cold snap coincided with the onset of the 40-day travel season marking the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 8.